New Zealand based agent Paul Moroney bought a potential candidate for the 2011 Melbourne Cup during Day 2 of the Tattersalls Horses In Training Sale in Newmarket on Tuesday.
Moroney bounced back after being under-bidder for the Day 1 session-topper when he secured Galileo colt Don Carlos for 210,000gns. The former Aidan O’Brien trained colt finished fourth in the 2009 G1 Gran Criterium de Saint-Cloud and won a Navan 2000m event at his penultimate start on October 6.
“I bid 450,000gns for Hearts Of Fire yesterday but that wasn’t enough,” Moroney said “Don Carlos is a good-looking horse and he missed a bit of time through the summer due to a pulled muscle. There’s still improvement in him.
“I always find that buying off Ballydoyle has been a good experience. They give you the full history of the horse and although you are buying their second string sorts, they can be plenty good enough!
“With the Australian dollar as it is currently, it makes good sense buying in Europe. The horses usually go back and acclimatise well.”
Don Carlos will join Moroney’s Melbourne Cup winning brother Mike at his Flemington stables with the 2011 Melbourne Cup a long-term objective.
Middle East buyers continued to dominate the leader board during Day 2 of the HIT Sale.
Qatar trainer Ibrahim Al-Malki topped the opening session when he paid 550,000gns for G1 performer Hearts Of Fire on Monday and Saudi agent Badr Al Hajri weighed in with 220,000gns for Cat Junior on Tuesday.
Cat Junior (Storm Cat) was trained by Brian Meehan when runner-up in the G2 Challenge Stakes at Newmarket on October 16. Earlier this year, he won a Group 3 mile race at Meydan. Badr Al Hajri bought him on behalf of Saudi Prince Sultan bin Mishel bin Abdulaziz.
Sheikh Mohammed’s former racing manager Anthony Stroud and his one-time trainer David Loder were also recruiting prospects for the 2011 Dubai Carnival on Tuesday. Leading their shopping list was Jedi (Pivotal) who was fourth home in the G3 St Simon Stakes at Newbury last Saturday. The four year-old cost 215,000gns as part of the consignment from Sir Michael Stoute’s Freemason Lodge Stables.
“We probably paid a bit more than we anticipated but he had the right rating to go to Dubai,” Stroud said. “There’s a shortage of horses that fit the bill here.”
Stroud also paid 130,000gns for High Twelve out of John Gosden’s yard. The Montjeu gelding has won at Sandown and Wolverhampton from 12 starts.
The Tattersalls Sale saw rises for turnover and average on Day 2. In total 235 lots were sold for 6.43 million guineas at an average of 27,389 guineas.